Epiphany
by kaitothegreat
Summary: Noun: A moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. / After seventeen long years, Aoko takes in this word pretty well.


Epiphany

Noun: A moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. / After seventeen long years, Aoko takes in this word pretty well.

A/N: Instead of AUs this time, here's one classic, oldschool KaiAo for you guys before I depart on my holiday tomorrow yayYY

* * *

Kaitou Kid always planned six steps ahead.

It was all about his tricks and distractions. Every step he took, every hand he waved, it was something to do with what was going to happen next and turning everyone in her father's squad into a dog-chasing-its-own-tail fool. More than often she would like, she was tricked by him too, with his gimmicks and all, and despite those times when she did corner him on the roof, she knew it was all part of his plan. He used her as a distraction to escape, used her as the trash collector for jewels he claimed he didn't want anymore; Used her as and when he liked.

The only credit Aoko was willing to give the thief was the equal dedication he placed in each heist, just like how her father did. Even if he might act like the squad was one big incompetent force trying hard to catch him, it wasn't all down to luck or how the task force was really inadequate. The difference was because Kaitou Kid planned six steps ahead while her father only planned three.

As for Kaito, he was more of a haphazard. He would jump over puddles instead of wearing boots, or look for the kettle only when he was thirsty; the kind of laid-back guy who let the world make plans for him instead of him making plans for his future. That was how Aoko grew to see Kaito as since they were young. The only surprising thing was the way he managed to submit his homework on time and pull off a full mark for most of his tests despite how he often slept through classes.

Like usual, he was napping again, missing out hearing some pointers during chemistry class, which their teacher mentioned was important for the finals. She could wake him up and earn herself a ungrateful snarl, but decided to let him sleep because he did honestly look exhausted for the day. Maybe she could do something about telling him the key points later.

That evening, Aoko finished her chemistry notes for the lesson and brought the compiled copy over to Kaito's house. It was a routine that didn't require a prompt or a text message to announce an arrival, and she was given his house key for reasons like stocking up his fridge and dusting up his house. She forgotten when was the last time she rang the bell.

When she first stepped in, the lights were off and the house was cold. Not the kind of cold that gave her a shiver or a flu, but the kind which made her heart drop just a tiny bit. She called out his name several times and checked his bedroom, to find it empty and equally as cold. She concluded he had went out, since his favourite shoe was missing from the rack too.

Aoko intended to leave her notes on his desk after sending a message to his phone to tell him about it when she glanced over the messy table, unable to find a space to do so. Papers, opened books, and different coloured pens were littered all around, covering the entire wooden surface of the table. She'd been to his room more times than she could remember, and this was considered quite a rare chaos. She shook her head and tossed her notes onto Kaito's bed, wondering how she should pack up for him. Just when she planned to start by shuffling the papers together first, one of the titles caught her eyes. It was notes, too, for chemistry, but it was on the chapter that wouldn't be taught until a month later, based on their teacher's schedule.

She blinked.

Her hands automatically searched for the other papers. There were more similar future notes meant for other subjects, and she even found several assigned math homework completed that wasn't supposed to be due until next week (which was why she hadn't started on hers yet). Her surprise and shock were shelved aside for a newfound horror when she wondered if Kaito was so lost in class that he was revising the wrong chapters instead. Her concentration was split away again when her eyes happened to flick over to a hidden folded stand-up calendar under an opened textbook. She placed his notes back to the messy pile and picked it up out of curiosity, expecting it to be pretty much blank and useless-

It wasn't. Each boxes for the day of the month was actually filled, with specific and detailed plans on what notes to be done for each subject.

He wasn't studying the wrong chapters. He was doing everything ahead of school. Ahead of her. Ahead of everyone else.

Aoko flipped through the future months of the calendar, wide eyes and gaping mouth as the next few months were all the same; with equally filled up boxes of his plans on revision and schedules for his curriculums. She only stopped when the page reached September and spotted one special date being circled in bright red. Her cheeks bloomed to the same colour of the ink when she noted it was none other than her birthday.

Flustered, she quickly flipped back the calendar to the current month and chucked it back under the textbook.

Kaito wasn't jumping over puddles because he didn't buy any boots. He was saving his new boots for the winter season.

For the past decade they grew up together, who was she really looking at?

Glimpsing over his desk and making sure it looked as close as to how it originally was, she took her notes and left his house.

.o.

A good plan doesn't mean absolute success. Without the compatible skill sets to execute the plan, in other words, would mean a failure to the entire operation.

For example. The only way to access a particular isolated temple, which stored the prized _Golden Sapphire_ , was through skiing past the snowy mountain. If you couldn't ski, like Aoko, it was over. And knowing it was over, Aoko had no other choice but to sit out on this heist that brought her weakness to a painful light, much to her displeasure.

As for Kaitou Kid, he sure did _great_ at everything.

His antics were broadcasted all over the news, voiceover by the ever enthusiastic reporter trying to explain what was going on, which somewhat helped as the LIVE camera was shaking terribly, since the thief was great _and_ fast at whatever he was doing. Far behind the man in white was a row of task force members screaming at him as they skied down the slope, and she spotted her father being one of the people lagging behind, tragically. Maybe it was something to do with hereditary.

Besides the weather factor, it was more common for the thief's attempt escape to be by foot. He always ran with the speed of light and jumped like he had the DNA of a kangaroo. Considering how his age was most probably same as her father, it was a wonder how he had the capability to possess such athletic standards. Was there something to do with the food he took? Could he possibly be part of an Olympic team? What kind of trainings did he undergo?

"Oh? Me?" Kaito grinned and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "It's all thanks to my special trainer, Nakamori Aoko, who chases me around school in order to hone my skills."

"What lies are you talking about?" Aoko tried to whack a hand over his head, which of course, failed as he dodged without even looking. "It's because you're always the pervert who causes trouble every time!"

"Nonetheless Kaito-kun, please help us!" One of their classmate, Takashi, pleaded with both hands pressed together like a prayer. "We're seriously lacking members and you're our only hope at this."

"Whoa." Kaito leaned back on his seat, not bothering to hide the reluctance in his voice. "I already have enough commitments."

Aoko impassively pricked her skin under a fingernail and cast a mocking glance over her table-partner. "You don't even join any clubs. What commitment are you talking about?"

He returned a look of betrayal back at her and grumbled a few incoherent words, which she was sure it had to do with her fanciful nicknames he came up with.

"No, no. I'm not asking you to join the club." Takashi began again, interrupting their glaring contest. "I'm just hoping you'll help out at our club's open house day. Do some running and stuff to show how cool the club is in order to gain some members."

Kaito scratched his chin, deep in thought. "Something like an ambassador?"

"Yes!" Takashi's eyes glimmered with hope. "It's only for a day!"

"Just help him, won't you?" Aoko nudged him in the ribs. "A way to atone your sins of peeking into girls' locker and the pranks you do on other people."

"Cheh," Kaito grumbled before a smirk spread across his face, his eyes twinkling. "If I do run, will you come and support me?"

Aoko scoffed and turned away. "Why would I?"

Despite her tight schedule over at her math club during the open house day, Aoko managed to finish her duties and slip out from her booth when it was finally her break time. The entire school was bustling with students trying to attract freshmen to their club, and the field, where she was heading to, wasn't excluded. Not only the members from the Track and Field club but other form of clubs, such as Baseball and Soccer, were trying to take up as much spaces as they could to gain more attention. But through the crowd of excited students, she immediately spotted Kaito at first glance. It was lucky she decided to take a break at this time.

He was in the club's tee and pants, in the midst of a friendly match and running on the field, swiftly taking over most of his opponents as quick as a flash. She didn't realize she had been smiling and cheering all the time, until when Kaito made a turn round the tracks and Aoko spotted the hurdle obstacle just ahead of him. She widened her eyes and strained her neck worriedly over the other viewers, trying to see if she'd mistaken. Nope. Right there near the finishing line were two hurdles. She knew Kaito was good at running, but hurdles? Was he even professional enough to jump over hurdles? What was Takashi thinking? Or what was Kaito's ego thinking?

And then it got closer. _He_ got closer. And-

Her breath hitched.

Kaito leapt.

The roars that erupted around her didn't sound like school students applauding for their friends. It was something like a chant made by loud fans. Something she always heard while she was chasing a certain man in white.

Her world slapped back to reality when someone stepped on her shoe and she winced. Her luck didn't end there as she got pushed again by the crowd of people behind her, who were yelling and pumping fists in the air for the end of the match. Ignoring the pain of her foot, she tiptoed, wondering what she'd missed and who had won.

It wasn't Kaito. It was one of the _real_ members from the Track and Field Team. Kaito was third.

Of course it couldn't be Kaito. He barely had good meals when she didn't cook. He wasn't part of an Olympic team or even joined any clubs related to sports. He had no prior trainings, and certainly, he didn't possess any DNA of a kangaroo.

Why would she expect him to be the first?

.o.

Aoko didn't really consider a man who use card gun to be dangerous. Honestly, nothing much about Kaitou Kid was really dangerous to her. He was only dangerous to his own self, always doing suicide stunts for the sake of the crowd and in attempts to make his escape.

But it still came; the lurking danger, which her father had been talking about as of late, had been appearing more often than the squad would like. Besides the innocent crowds who were attracted to Kaitou Kid like he was some nectar, wasps and bees were equally as attracted as well.

If she had heeded Hakuba's warning not to come to the heist today, she could easily switch off the television, marking an end to her involvement with Kid's heist. If she had listened to what her father said and stayed in the police car, she wouldn't have crossed the wrong path with the wrong people. If she had bucked up her courage to ask Kaito out for dinner instead of finding herself bored alone at home, maybe she could at least hear his stupid jokes for the last time.

Her feet were rooted to the ground, unable to move like what she wanted. Her widened eyes could only stare straight at the approaching men in trench coat and guns in their hands, ambling slowly towards her direction like a cat about to pounce on a bird. Her wings; arms, were clipped to her side, trembling and shaking and-

Aoko suddenly felt herself turn, like a ballerina she didn't know she could be, and her entire weight fell straight into a firm chest clothed in white suit. A strong arm was clung around her waist, the support she needed from falling backwards due to her wobbling knees. The banging of bullets and cocking of guns that started a second ago faded away by the next second and into a mute, the only thing her ears picked on was the steady breath over her head and the sound of sharp cards slicing things. Slicing what, she wasn't sure.

In a swift, Kid swooped her off her feet and began running down the shadowy corridor while carrying her in his arms. She felt the speed of the wind slapping her cheeks as he moved in grace, like he was shooting a scene of a dancing film. She didn't know how far he'd run, or how long he'd run, until he abruptly stopped by an opened room and jumped inside before closing the door behind them with the heel of his shoe.

She didn't even use any energy, but for the entire time, her heart was beating so hard and loud she swore the inside of her ribcage would dent sooner or later. Kid slowly set her down onto the floor, his gloved fingers brushed against her back until he fully let her go, allowing her to rest against the cool wall. Her frantic hands felt the ground underneath her for assurance and she let out a sigh, knowing fully well she was indeed safe. Safer than before.

The thief squatted down to her eye level, his cape pooling by his feet.

"Are you alright?" His voice echoed loudly in the room.

Once she registered his words, her face lit up in stunned shock. All she knew was being more than grateful to be out of that mess, and it didn't cross her mind to care about the state of her wellbeing. But she knew she was fine, other than her quickened heart rate, so the next thing she checked was Kid. Her eyes automatically lingered over his white suit, fearing for the colour red, but the only red thing she saw was his signature red tie. No blood. There was no blood. She didn't want any blood. Not her blood. Not his blood too.

He was still waiting patiently for her response.

Mustering her energy, she gave a nod. "I-I'm fine." _And so are you._

"Good. Stay here. Don't come out. Don't even move. Your father will find you."

It stung her throat to even speak. "H-How do you know?"

Although his face was shadowed by his hat, his voice was enough of a proof to his confidence. "Have trust in me, Nakamori-san." He squeezed her shoulder, a comfort she didn't know she needed until now.

With that he trudged towards the door and poked half of his body out, looked right and left before closing the door behind him and sped off again, the last thing she heard before the dooming silence was the light thumping of his shoes.

Her father came ten minutes later.

Aoko didn't tell anyone about the plight she had went through, or more like she couldn't. Numbed from the shock, the only thing she could say was she wanted to go home, which her father tasked a squad member to do. She should have warned her father about the true source of the underlying danger he had been pondering about for the past few months, but her incident wasn't telling anything much other than the fact that all the dangerous men wore trench coats. The only way she could get the full answers was either from the bad guys themselves or Kaitou Kid (obviously the latter was a much logical choice). That was why she couldn't tell anyone about who she'd crossed path. If she were to even speak about the danger she had landed herself in, there was no way her father was going to allow her in any of the heist anymore. The last thing she needed was to get herself banned from the chase before getting her answers.

Whatever danger she was in, whatever danger Kid had brought to the heist, she wanted to know. She needed to know.

But she didn't go for the next three heists. She couldn't face him; her saviour and also the man she was supposed to hate. She couldn't.

This matter had been a great distraction to her as of late, to a point when she couldn't focus during class, just like now. It was certainly embarrassing when she got called out by the teacher and she couldn't answer because she didn't even know what the question was. But in the end, she was luckily saved when Kaito, her supposed lazy table partner, whispered the answer over his shoulder. Unbelievable.

"Are you alright?" He asked when Aoko sat back on her seat after she answered the question correctly.

The same three words that haunted her for the past two weeks came back like a huge slap. She widened her eyes and turned to Kaito, who was looking at her in genuine curiosity.

It didn't occur to her, until now, how similar Kaito and Kid's voices were.

"I-I'm fine." She finally found the energy to speak.

He didn't look convinced, but he didn't pry into her matter either, which she was inwardly thankful for because she had a feeling she might blurt out everything if Kaito was to ask with that stubborn persistency habit he had. She couldn't let him know too; about how Kid saved her. She needed to be firm in her beliefs, that Kid was a criminal, a criminal she hated, a criminal who always crushed her father's effort, a criminal that deserved to spend his remaining life behind bars to repent his crimes. Even if he'd saved her. Even if she was thankful.

As her last words concluded the conversation, they returned their attention to the class board.

.o.

There really wasn't a title for the most dangerous weapon in the world. Bad guys carried guns, a not-so-bad guy might carry a card gun instead. What Aoko carried was something equally as dangerous, something that could make people hurt, lethally, when she used it correctly at the right time and at the right person.

Her words, like poison, dripped with icy venom. "Why should I listen to you?" She spat. "Who are you to care about me?"

Kaitou Kid squirmed in his posture, both of his hands stuck in his pockets since the beginning of his arrival. "You are right. I'm a nobody. And I don't expect you to listen to me because you have a strong mindset of your own. But I'm here to warn you." His hat was tipped low to cover most of his face like usual, and the lack of light on Aoko's balcony greatly helped in hiding his features. So when he glanced up, Aoko could only see the glinting reflection coming from his monocle, rather than his full face she wanted to expose. "I supposed you're smart enough to infer what my warnings meant and what you should do about it."

"That's no different from telling me what to do." She crossed her arms angrily, one part was to prevent the constant wind from flapping up her shirt, exposing her bellybutton.

"Nakamori-san." Kid pulled a gloved hand out his pocket and rubbed one part of his neck, a hint of impatience slipping in his voice. "This is not a joke."

"Is it not?" Aoko scorned. "Isn't everything a joke to you? No? Jumping off roofs, stealing jewels to return them back again, mocking my father and his efforts. Aren't you doing everything for fun?"

"I do things for reasons."

"So you mocked my father for a reason? What reason? Enlighten me."

His lips crooked slightly downwards. "It wasn't my intention."

She scoffed, her eyes slicing past the night air and at Kid's white form. "Not your intention." She mocked sarcastically.

"Nakamori-san." Kid sounded awfully exhausted all of the sudden, in contrast to how he still had the cheeks to ask how her evening was when he first stepped foot on her balcony a while ago. "Have you forgotten how-"

"I do remember." She cut in, ironically trying not to remember at the same time. "You saved me."

"That's not the main point I'm saying. Have you forgotten how you almost got shot? Those people, those men you saw. They are _dangerous_. They will remember you, and the next time you crossed path with them, they won't hesitant to shoot because I-" He paused and gave a low sigh. "Because I saved you. They would think we have a connection."

"We don't." She snarled.

"Yes." His voice was low and cold. "We don't."

This was the perfect moment, the chance Aoko inwardly wanted to use and ask a long time ago. "Who are they?"

"You don't have to know." His answer was quicker than her taking a breath.

"This isn't a way to bargain." Aoko sneered, arms tightening around her chest. "If you asked me to stay out of your heists, I should at least deserve to know what threat I have come across."

"The lesser you know, the better." Kid answered in a blink of an eye again, as if all these lines were already scripted in his head, ready to be said when it was the right timing. "It's for your sake."

"For my sake?" Aoko nearly choked. "Don't make me laugh. For my sake? If it's for my sake, why don't you stop whatever you're doing and just-" Just what? Find a decent job? Take care of your family? Watch your favourite TV shows? She wasn't sure what else the thief would do besides stealing. There really wasn't anything in her mind that allow her to continue what she wanted to say. Instead, she decided to drop her sentence and end it with a scowl.

This was the first time he was slow in response. "Turn myself in?" He softly helped to fill in the gap.

Those three words were the last thing she had on mind, but it fitted well, or that was what she wanted to believe. Her lips twisted and she gave a smile that had nothing to do with her inward emotions. Nothing at all. "Yes. Great answer."

"Thought so." Kid set a hand on the balcony's railing and cautiously leaned his back against the pole. "About that, I wouldn't say I would or wouldn't ever do it. But I can tell you one thing."

Her back straightened on its own, hair rippling in the breeze. He scrutinised her for a while and she imagined he was staring at her, watching her like a hawk and wondering if he should really trust her with whatever he was going to say next. Or maybe he was _simply_ just staring at her, with no intentions other than wanting to look at her. Aoko couldn't see his eyes, much less decipher what those flicker of emotions could possibly meant. It was useless to think about it. Why did she even bother to think about how his eyes were looking at her? She instantly crushed her thoughts like a bug.

He moved his concealed gaze away and tilted his head up to the sky, exposing his jawlines. "What I can tell is that I will stop whatever I am doing one day, like what you wanted, and disappear forever. That day will eventually come after I finish my mission."

It never dawned upon Aoko that Kid would ever disappear. Yes, Kid always disappeared in a cloud of smoke bombs, in the chaos of the crowd, but not long until the next heist message was sent to the task force. She imagined his end was behind bars, locked away and also proving his existence and that those chases weren't after a ghost. The thought of him disappearing forever didn't come to her mind, not even in the slightest. And she didn't realize until now that she didn't want him to either.

"Why would you disappear?" Her throat tightened. "What mission are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry Nakamori-san." He glanced down at her, his lips pursed into a thin line, looking as if he was indeed sorry and not just speaking empty words. "I can't say more."

"Are those bad guys hunting you down because of your mission?" She flinched at her own words, a dread of worry coming from a source she didn't know. "What is the outcome of the mission? What's so important and great about it that you choose to put your safety and life on the line?"

" _Your_ safety and life is the one on the line." He snapped before his shoulders stiffened instantly, catching himself shock at his own unnatural outburst. He wasn't alone, as Aoko gaped at him with similar reaction, the only difference was her features were exposed under the moonlight. He tipped his hat even lower, trying to cover whatever he was afraid of showing to her even though she could barely see anything already. "You have many other interests." He continued, no trace of agitation from before. "Go to town to do sight-seeing and eat a cake or something. Whatever you like, but don't come to the heists anymore."

"I-" Her next word was caught in the middle of her throat when she heard a knock on her closed door, and a muffled "I'm coming in Aoko," could be heard from behind. Before she could think straight and shout out a _No!_ , the door opened and her father stepped in, glancing over her desk and bed before looking at her quizzically when he found her standing on her balcony instead.

She froze, panic crawling all over her skin.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

 _Certainly not talking to the criminal you've been chasing for the past twenty years._ Aoko looked over her shoulder, the empty space on her balcony suddenly looked extremely large and lonely. "Nothing." She cleared her throat. "Thought I could catch a breather of the night air."

Her father managed a grunt before jabbing a thumb out of her room. "The telephone rang and it's for you."

"Oh, thanks dad." Aoko inconspicuously glanced over her balcony one last time and headed out of the room to pick up her call, which was Keiko who was stuck in the middle of a math question and needed her help.

That conversation wasn't forgotten, but temporary shelved aside for the rest of the evening.

.o.

It was plain obvious that Aoko refused to listen to Kid's words, that was why it was so infuriating when it seemed like she was following his words when she wasn't. It was a hobby of hers to go to town to enjoy cakes and nice sweets she'd found on the internet, and he hit right on the mark when he told her to find other interests, which was basically it. Just to spite him (or maybe at herself), she wanted to go on a cake-strike for a month, but she couldn't do it.

Moreover sitting across the cake and dessert-filled table was Kaito, the one who surprisingly initiated this cake-eating outing. And solely on the fact that it was him who asked her out, it was ten times harder for her to say a no even though she wasn't sure why.

He slurped loudly on his chocolate milkshake while twisting the straw wrapper in a hand, skilfully tying the end into a perfect knot with just two fingers. "Don't you always wanted to go Osaka? I think it's a good chance for you now since it's the holidays."

"What holiday are you talking about? Finals is coming and there's tons of work to do." Aoko sliced her fork deep into her chocolate cake a little harder than she needed to. "It's not a holiday."

"Give yourself a break," He flicked the wrapper onto the table and scoffed over his milkshake. "What you need is to expand your chest, not your head."

Aoko picked up the very wrapper and tossed it over his direction, missing his face. "How about you? Your revision? Your homework? Are you all prepared?"

He waved her off like he couldn't care. "Soon, soon."

She never mention the time when she saw all his prepared notes and advanced homework he'd completed before the deadlines. Since he wanted to act like he was the laid back sort of guy in front of everyone, she didn't want to spoil his facade or pry into his reasons. Besides, she really wasn't one to talk when there were many things she didn't tell him too. She picked up her fork and dug into her cake again. "And are you expecting me to go Osaka alone? Dad's not going to take a day off unless Kid got caught."

Kaito pinched the edge of his straw and stirred his drink mindlessly. "Maybe it's soon. Who knows." He said, uncharacteristically quiet.

"If he stop playing tricks, slow down a little while running _and_ not use his stupid glider, maybe I might believe there's a chance at it." She grumbled and gobbled another mouthful of cake, the taste of it was ruined once she thought about the thief. "He should make up his mind. Be flashy and get caught. Or be stealth and low-key so dad wouldn't need to deal with so much extra obstacles like the crazy fans."

"Maybe he needs to be flashy for a reason." He muttered, almost to himself, as if the words slipped out of his mouth rather than him speaking them out. Aoko looked up, her eyes blinking blankly at him as he swiftly snipped off a macaron from her plate like nothing just happened. She didn't care even when it was her favourite flavour, at least not now when her eyes were focused on Kaito and his words that were echoing in her head like an alarm.

"For what reason, besides showing off and broadcasting my dad's failure...?" She asked, not out of frustration but pure curiosity. Kid did mention that he do things for reasons, and maybe...

Before she even hear Kaito's reply, those men in trench coat flashed across her mind and she hastily grabbed onto the edge of her table, her fork dropped and clanging loudly onto the surface. Kaito stared at her fork and then at her face, brows furrowed in slight confusion.

"Aoko...?"

"I'm fine, a slip of hand." She picked up her fork and poked into the cake again.

"Kaitou Kid's heists are taking a toll on your, don't you think?"

"You can try telling that to my dad."

"It's your dad's responsibility and job, not yours." Kaito sucked his straw, clearing the bottom of his glass clean. It gave Aoko plenty of a chance to rebuke during the short silence, but she didn't. Kaito continued after pushing his empty glass away. "And since you said that the school's workload is heavy this holiday, you should stop attending it."

Aoko fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. "I want to look out for him."

"Your dad is-"

" _Not_ my dad." She interjected, cutting Kaito's sentence into dust. "Not my dad." She repeated her answer, softer this time.

Kaito sat there without a word, a silence she rarely associated him with. He slowly laid his arms on the table and scrutinized her like he wasn't sure how to respond. If Aoko wasn't talking about Kid in the first place, she might have blushed at how he was looking at her with all the seriousness in the world. He never look at her like this before.

"Look out for _him_...?" He broke the mute chaos between them, knowing fully well the pronoun game she was playing. "I thought you hate him. And you wanted him to go away."

"I want him behind bars," Aoko blurted, her hand curled into a fist. "But not to go away, or disappear." She unconsciously added the last word.

His lips tugged into a mocking smile. "And what's the difference?"

"The difference is that he's _there_. That he existed like all human does." Aoko quietly admitted. _Not hurt. Not dead and-_ "Not just the phantom he claimed to be."

.o.

Defying Kid's warnings and ignoring Kaito's advice, she attended the next heist available in the district that didn't require lots of travelling. A museum, like usual. A jewel, like always. After the diamond was gone from its protective case, Kid, exposed from his disguise, ran and flipped while executing his stunts of escape. Aoko only took her chance to strike when she noted the routes he choose tonight made it highly plausible that his escape route was the roof, and she sped off ahead.

She found him there like what she thought, shining the sapphire under the sky. He always examined his prize for some reason and often decided straight on the spot whether he wanted it or not, without any special kind of scope but his naked eye, which she didn't quite understand. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind and stepped forward and away from the stairs she dashed up from.

"You're one stubborn lady." He set his arm down and kept the loot inside his pocket, back still facing her.

"Took you long to realize." She forced herself not to stick out her tongue. _Mature, mature._

"Then perhaps I don't have a choice," He turned away from the streets and stepped down from the edge of the roof, plodding over to her direction. She took one tentative step back, but by the time she gained enough composure to take another, he already took ten steps towards her. He was standing closer to her than the time when he visited her at her balcony, but was careful to keep an ample amount of distance away, preventing her the capability to fling his hat and exposing his face. She guessed he believed she would do so, which she honestly might, if he happened to infuriate her to a certain extent.

She narrowed her eyes. "What-"

He raised his head a little, his monocle twinkled. "I'll have to do all I can to protect my lovely lady when danger comes, right?"

Aoko flushed, as if someone placed a burning charcoal near her neck. "W-What are you say-saying?!" She so much _wanted_ to flip his hat right now.

"Goodnight Nakamori-san."

He didn't disappear with his signature flash bombs or turn into a puff of smoke with a wave of his cape (like his usual phantom ways). Instead, he sprinted onto the edge of the roof in a split second, tipping his heels and leaned back, his fluttering cape turned into solid wings. She watched him take flight into the night, until he became a speck of spark in the distant city lights.

She only came to realize Kid had stashed today's loot inside the pocket of her coat a good five minutes later.

.o.

When Aoko tried to remember the first time she saw Kaito cried, she couldn't. It wasn't because it happened too long ago, it was because it didn't happen. Nearly, perhaps, but never nonetheless.

There was a time when he slipped off his bicycle while they were practicing how to cycle at a nearby park under his father's guidance a long time ago. He merely sniffed and shouted at her to go away before dusting his scraped jeans and palm, annoyance smeared across his face. He didn't cry, but she did. Because he was big meanie.

During his father's funeral, Kaito sat on the chair, shoulder slouching and head low. His face was shadowed, hands clenched and teeth biting into lips. But he didn't cry, or at least she didn't see him cry. Back then Aoko was already sensible enough to not ask if he did or not, so she silently cried on her own, for her second father and for the boy who lost his favourite person in the world, fulfilling more than enough for the portion of tears she didn't see Kaito shed.

They found a lost puppy at one point while they were in middle school, near a convenience store they always walked by to buy ice pop. For the next few days that passed, they spent their time cleaning the dirty puppy, feeding it, adoring it and loving it like it was their own. Everything went perfectly great, until one day when the box they kept the puppy was gone, leaving only a note and an extra mention from the store keeper, explaining how the real owner had come back to retrieve his long lost dog. Aoko didn't need to even try to cry when she realized the truth, because she did it all her heart out. As for Kaito, he was the one comforting her, with countless pats on her back and an ice pop treat after she calmed down. Ever since then, the store keeper always gave a knowing smile whenever they dropped by.

This was the first time Aoko seen Kaito cry. Back bent with a palm on his forehead, gloved fingers twisting the front of his hair like he wanted to rip them off. His tears didn't run down like waterfall, not like hers. His was slow, trickling and slipping like it didn't want to but it did. Kid's top hat and cape was on the ground while the rest was still donned by Kuroba Kaito; the signature red tie, the always twinkling monocle. She wasn't sure how long she had been standing there, watching through the brim of her tears as Kaito remained silent on his side, the silence she didn't realize she always associated Kid with until now.

"I'm sorry." He finally choked onto his tears and looked away, head lowered and feet twisting to the opposite end of the alley she found him in, exposed. "I'm sorry."

"Are you going to leave, just like that?" She squeezed out all the voice left in her throat. He stiffened in his tracks, legs gradually turning obediently towards her again. "No words? Nothing?"

"I don't know if you want to listen." He pursed his lips and dragged his hand down, missing his monocle but effectively wiping the tears that stained his cheeks. "I don't know if you still care."

Aoko took a step forward, closing the distance that he was keeping all the while. "When you're Kaitou Kid and _only_ Kaitou Kid, I've asked you. I've _asked_ you." She reached out for his monocle and pulled, the four leaf clover tag swinging over her wrist. "What makes you think when you're Kuroba Kaito, I would care any less? I always care for you so much, was it not obvious enough?"

Kaito avoided her gaze.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He shook his head, still unsure. "I don't know, Aoko. I-I've never been afraid of anything. Jumping off roofs, jumping off planes... I've never been afraid. But-" He tentatively reached out for her eye, brushing her stubborn tears that didn't fall. "But you're the only person I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of hearing what you might say when you know the truth. Afraid of losing you. Afraid of losing you the _other_ way. That's why I _can't_ , Aoko."

For a moment she thought she was looking at little Kuroba Kaito, with the guilt and pain sized almost as big as the sun weighing down on him, pushing him to the limits. It broke Aoko heart into pieces, worse than how she felt when she realized Kaito lied to her. She might hate Kid for taking her father away, hate Kaito for making use of her several times to get his heists to work, but if she were to still hate him after seeing how broken he was right now, there was no one else she could hate more other than herself.

"Have you forgotten?" She curled her arms around his shoulder and tiptoed just a bit to dig her face into the crook of his neck, the smell of smoke and cinnamon filled her lungs. "I'm a stubborn girl. Like a stain, a pest. You can't shake me off that easily. Not until I have my answers." _And I think I might already know what it is._ She hugged him tighter, hoping to suck all of Kaito's exhaustion and loneliness he had to go through whenever he faced his battles alone. If only she realized faster. If only she talked to him more. Maybe Kaito wouldn't have to suffer so much as he had.

She felt a hand rubbing up her shirt and to her back, pulling her in. "You're wrong."

Her arm shifted. "Wrong?"

"You're not a stubborn girl." He pressed his forehead on her shoulder, taking a deep breath. "You're my stubborn lady."

They allowed themselves to stand in the middle of the dim and secluded alley for the next ten minutes, taking in the comfort they needed for the temporary moment before heading back home, where Aoko could hear Kaito's story for the very first time.

.end.

* * *

A/N: What a way to end... UGHHHH but oh well. If I've seriously stuck to my old _classic_ ways, you should either be expecting Kaito or Aoko dead by the end of this fic lol. Well, I guess you can say I'm saving that for another time XD anyway, thanks for reading and review is always appreciated!


End file.
